Leaf Rise
by Harmen
Summary: Deku Schrub revolution! It's business! PLEASSSSE revieuw me some more, I'm having a writers block!
1. The diary

I do not own Anything Zelda related, or for that matter Zelda itself. You happy? Great! Bye now, Yah'll enjoy the story (its my first, oh I'm ever so exited).  
  
Tree-greening 14  
  
Spring's worth diary. Today I will tell you more of what I have told you, because it refuses to stop haunting me. We are the shattered, the terror struck. Were-ever we're organised, we're despised. If an adventurer needs to practice using a shield, there will always be one of us to kill. If we can dent the shield, it's probably low quality. We used to be respected. Weren't always lonely. We used to be the one laughing at the foolish primates from the trees as they kept trying to club down the wolfos. Used to rule forest and protect the weak forest people. But the worst thing is, people didn't always think of us as "those pathetic things who sometimes get enraged and start attacking innocent people who haven't harmed them." But I'm sick of it. Unlike our respectful, but helpless brethren we have the power to stand up for our selves! And we will!  
  
Yesterday a courier from the groomed ones reached me. They're kingdom had also fallen. Not even directly to the Hylians blades but even to there dishonesty, towards us and each other: An adventurer had come to their land. He had appeared been wounded since he couldn't walk in a straight line, and had what appeared Hylians blood on his face. He was taken in, fed, and placed in bed so he could rest. When it was time to wake him he was gone. Later, when they had searched all over for him they found the royal artefacts chest empty of all their king's royal "junk" missing. They were furious! They went after him with half of their soldiers. But it was a trap. They had wasted to much time finding him, and preparing for the chase. Apparently they had underestimated the Hylian's speed in the swamp. He had warned the Hylian's town that their armies were coming to search for their escaped test subject, for their pain- resistance research. The Hylian soldiers had marched out and attacked the untrained and unprepared army. They were utterly defeated. Only those who had kept their marks of origin (the groomed ones found them unworthy, so they weren't "allowed" to fight for the kings artefacts) were able to escape the Hylians as they Marched into the half empty kingdom. The groomed survivor said that the other survivors would take longer to arrive, especially the very few groomed survivors, who will get spotted more easily.  
  
This crime against our kind is the last one I will tolerate. I do not care if we are all slaughtered or not! We will make a stand to the Hylians whatever the cost. At this moment I refuse to listen to the voice in my head saying their not all bad. Because that attitude may have been the one holding us down all those years. Scattered by those holding a sword, not coming together to make as stand because we fear the soldiers. Not hating the Hylians, just armed Hylians, not attacking Hylians, just armed Hylians, and consequently; being killed by Hylians.  
  
My snouth fills with pressure as I write this. And I know I must take action. Today I'm seeing the Deku tree for his blessing. Although I doubt he remembers us as his children. I will gather my people, I will forge swords to protect us, and we will claim our own land. We will be far from the Hylians, or Gerudos. We will not fall to their tricks! I will have us get respect! We can't be as helpless as we appear, that is impossible!  
  
Narc closed his Fathers diary he could help but reading it since his father had left without waking him. He to (just like the diary) had heard many of these speeches from his father. But he didn't think his father would be taking action any time soon. This attack of the groomed ones would be the drop that made the bucket spill, even though they maltreated the likes of him. If Narc hadn't known his father as long as he did he would have thought his father was the first to lead their kind into revolution. But his hope had faded as his father kept calling himself patient so he didn't actually have to do it.  
  
But finally it was going to happen. He would finally fight for something instead of using twigs, and fighting his frustration. Coming to think of it, why hadn't his father told him of the attack on the swamp moss? He didn't like them in general, but he wasn't going to do anything to him. Actually he was surprised the groomed guy got here, since they have poor camouflage, and their lifestyle allowed them to all do little, leaving them all in poor physical shape. Narc started wondering if the courier had nowhere else to go, since they thought of the ungroomed (like Narc and his father, and all of their kind who live in Hyrule) as savages. Those of them who lived with them where also, only allowed to be scouts of guards, preferably guards that do not need to come into the palace because their wild- an savageness might "corrupt the king." "Never mind" he thought. I'd best just wait for him to come back and help him, and doing so helping al the others like us. He opened the drawer were his father always kept their snout whipes, they'll need they if things get dirty. He went outside to great the sun, but it was already halfway to the sky, and the flowers had probably been smiling for half an hour. Then it hit Narc how his father must have trusted his physical capabilities if he didn't wake him up. Narc felt proud. He jumped down and started to gather his people. When he had gathered his friends, and he started counting he noticed that Aak had also come, but he hadn't noticed him. He wondered why he hadn't seen him, while they were equal size, and what he had gathered wasn't a crowd. "Even to another Deku Schrub Aak always had a way of not being noticed," Narc thought. 


	2. Arms still on

Beark went through the passage that led to the Deku tree. It had just told him what it knew about the positions of other Deku Schrubs in Hyrule, but somehow it hadden't seemed happy with Beark's plans for a Schrub revolution. It feared for the lives of Kokiri, many Schrubs hated them as well, since adventurers had told them many stories, in which Schrubs had been the foolisch creatures who had messed up their fight with the "evil" that kept them from claiming what is so-called rightfully theirs. And it always seemed as if they had believed it. He went on thinking about what the Deku tree had told him, how he would train and equip the Schrubs, where they should strike first and when they should go out in the open. The last was not a very difficult choice, they would remain nameless for as long as possible. "It's better to seek my people out, and remain undetected by the Hylians, than to let everyone know who we are, so the Schrubs will come to us." He thought. When he reached the lost woods, he stood still. Something is hiding from me. It's to quiet. As he went deeper into what was probably the last place Schrubs could live kind of safe. The silence was broken by a quick and short rustling, one that the wind does not often bring forth. Beark was to excited with the beginning of his job to let this scare him.  
  
"The Schrubs stand must begin here!" he said. "I know your there and you can't scare me!"  
  
There were about fifty of them, they were all Narc and his friends could gather on such short notice. They had spread out and searched for all who would join them for half an hour so that they could surprise Narc's father with the beginnings of the Deku Schrub army that would rid the Schrubs of the plague that made them mad, and of the hold the Hylians had over them. It was not very easy though. Aak had almost scared seven Schrubs away, until Deik saw what was going on and persuaded them to join the revolution after all. Five ungroomed en two groomed Schrub's had arrived from Termina since their land had been destroyed by the apes. This was a good test to see how effective the leaves on their head were as camouflage. Let's see a groomed Schrub do this. Narc thought.  
  
Although the victim had already noticed them, he hadn't figured were they were yet.  
  
"Form a circle, keep the birds singing, watch for my hand," were the insctructions Narc had given the first members of the Schrub revolution. They were quite keen to show of to each other. But luckily they saw the importance of inspiring Beark with this action.  
  
Narc saw that the circle was complete, and stepped out of the green.  
  
"Hello father."  
  
"Narc, I knew you'd wake up!"  
  
"Why didn't you wake me?"  
  
"You are strong enough to rise yourself, and I needed to do something very important. Today it begins Narc! I just went to the Deku tree, he has informed me of the locations of most Scrubs. Together with all the Schrubs of the lost woods we won't be stopped."  
  
"How will the two of us gather them all?"  
  
"That will not be easy, we should start with your friends, and those who live nearby, they trust us most."  
  
"It would be a lot easier if we had more to start with"(sigh) Behind his back Narc pointed out four fingers, drew them in and pointed out three...  
  
"The Deku tree said a lot of Scrubs are held in the Gerudo fortress, since they can't...  
  
On Narc's "pointing" out no finger's the Schrubs come from the forest and surrounded Beark.  
  
"How's this for starters?"  
  
Beark didn't speak. he had an look of utter amazement on his face. He then pulled himself together and said: "We should prepare to steal metal from Hyrule castle, then prepare to invade Gerudo fortress, and free our friends who are captured and take the Gerudo's weapons. In the mean time we should start training because only a group of around this size can be taken to infiltrate Hyrule castle, and we would need the best. Al of them reacted diffently, but most called out Aak's name to see how he'd react. Together they went home.  
  
They had appeared as a infestation of stupid animals to the most naïve Kokiri, but none of them had dared to go outside, as the Schrubs used the more open Kokiri forest as their training grounds. To inspire each other they had exhibitions of possible fighting styles, but nothing good seemed to come out. At first Aak had been focused and showed some neat stuff, but when he looked up, and saw the place was empty he lost focus and fell.  
  
"I think we'd better give him blunt blades". Deik said. Talp nodded, and cast a pitiful look at Aak who would have sliced his arms of in the fall if it hat been swords instead of sticks.  
  
Meanwhile Beark was developing the equipment. Which took a lot of planning, since they had to be light but still protected. But if they were light in a Deku Schrub's point of view, would they still offer enough protection?  
  
The morning before they would attack Narc took a pre-sunset strole through the forest. But he felt he wasn't alone. He heard the strange rustling his father had taught him. As he started to pay close attention to his surroundings he saw strange shadows everywhere, and they all seemed to move toward him. "This is stupid." He thought, he pulled himself together, and went home. 


	3. Outside

They had successfully crossed Hyrule field. The only thing that could give away their presence would be the Stallkids. But since they had made their way across Hyrule field before they would rise, they will have crossed the wall before the stupid skeletons can reach them. The members group that was going to break in, now about one fourth of all the revolting Schrubs, had been selected for every aspect of breaking. They were al in good shape because they had to carry the metal out, and not be noisy or slow. They had been split in groups, so they could effectively search the castle. The members of "Narc's crew" knew were Talp, Rase, Talip, and Rodon. Their job would be patrolling the castle for guards that might endanger the operation. Narc had liked for Deik to be on his crew, but Deik was ordered to take a group of twelve, and search the main smithy. Either way, the bridge had been raised an hour a go, and they had not given a sign of their presence, so the guards would probably be dozing or may have even gone now.  
  
Beark ( he wasn't going in) gave the signal. The unorganised forest of small bushes jumped up and ran for the water, at the water they jumped as far as possible. When their feet touched the water they jumped again. In two jumps the Schrubs were in a circle in on water, and one of them had thrown a rope with a mini parachute and a hook in the air. On the third jump they all shot a nut from their snouths right in to the "parachute", pushing it way over the wall. After that they all easily climbed up. There was only one guard on the market, and he went into the an alley, it seemed as though he was the only guard in the civilian part of Hyrule castle.  
  
As the guard left into the alley the different break-in teams jumped on top of the houses. Deik's crew went down the wall, and ran. As they passed by the alley some guy on Deik's crew signed that the guard was almost at the end of the alley, and would soon de coming back.  
  
Narc's group took immediate action. All jumped on to the buildings next to the alley. Talip went to the opening on the market side, and the rest went to the end of the alley, only the a few metres higher of course.  
  
Talip threw the rope with the hook trough the air. The guard looked up. Behind him the rest of the team went down the wall. Talip shot a nut "at" the market, the guard heard it fall, and looked. The team came closer. Talip jumped down and cried out medium-loud scream. The guard looked up, and Rodon grabbed his feet while rest tackeled him.  
  
He was tied op and gagged in three seconds.  
  
Narc's team spread and patrolled, keeping sign contact.  
  
Deik's team had sneaked their way into the castle, had just captured a guard, they were just making the blindfolded Hylian say were the smithy was, when they heard someone shout: "Intruders, alarm!" At that moment the guard used his un-gagged mouth to scream like a girl, causing all the guards to come resque him. Deik's crew raced of. The could still hear the man getting in trouble for being blindfolded before he could see the attackers. Inspired by these events the Hylian began en intense clearing of the entire castle. But since they hadden't seen the attackers, and since the plants in the castle garden and the flower pots inside the castle were very expensive they couldn't find anything suspicious. The garden however was considered a possible exit for the intruders. Meaning that all the Scrubs who were hiding there were trapped. In the run Deik discovered the smithy, which was heavily guarded because many weapons lied there.  
  
The search went through to the town. Narc's team had to replace the captured soldier several times before they found the perfect spot (bound to the middle branch of the marketplace's central tree). After that it was improvising time. They went to the castle. Arrived there they saw the place was crawling with guards. Some even (not to many though, they get laughed) searched the bushes. With a lot of patience and stealthy manouvres they got near the bridge into the. But then they heard one the guards who would look in the bushes get laughed at very nasty-like, and saw him go back to the castle.  
  
But at the bridge he stopped, to look at his collegues who laughed at him because someone said he was afraid that blackberries were going to assasinate the king. He kept standing like that troubled why they wouldn't take him seriously. Then he noticed Narc and the others. They were smart enough to form an arch leading people into the castle, but still the guard didn't trust them. He cast another look at his collegues, and (as if he was going to prove he was right by finding the intruders hiding in these plants) he walked to them and streched his hands out.  
  
That was when they took action. They all fired at him, so he couldn't see, and while the other soldiers where busy finding them they jumped into the moat. They swam away as fast as they could. Behind them they could here the soldiers:  
  
"There in the water!"  
  
Dude, listen; The rupees Zora's tend to drop in the water for us wont be attacking us anytime soon either.  
  
* Lots and lots of laughter *  
  
Serious, look it shot... things at me! Come see then!  
  
That was when luck or circumstances were on the Schrubs side. At the and of the moat they found a flow of water coming from a hole in the wall, and a fence in the moat keeping items from flowing to lake Hylia. They went trough the hole, which was far to big for the stream of water, and found the palace garden.  
  
A soldier come from the normal entrance and said: clear this area, and help look for those wretches outside, there's been an attack. To stop any sudden escapes the soldier guarding the garden closed the door. At the same moment they all made contact, and when the door was closed, the guards were taken out one by one. That tactic lasted five guards, but then they teamed up, still not knowing what they were up against. They formed a circle face outwards. And spread again. Then again the Schrub should be taken a minute or five to thank someone above (but in the heat of the situation they didn't have time to choose which of the three goddesses to thank), because at that moment someone threw a rope through a window from the inside. All the soldiers clearly mal-disciplined looked up, and there was the second Schrub offensive. In the end there was only one soldier standing with twenty Schrubs around him, and ten keeping the gate closed, when he fell outcold ; the Scrub who threw the rope had dropped an iron bar on his head. "There's no guards inside, they're all outside looking for these really dangerous intruders," Deik said with a tone of satisfaction with himself.  
  
It took them half an our to get all the bars in to the garden, but when they had them they could immediately leave because a few Schrubs had broken the fence's framing. And they could simply swim, and let the woodyness of their body's compensate the metals' weight. They would have to send someone to get Beark back from the front of the castle though. 


	4. Tu'el thin'

They floated down the water canal, when it left the castle it become a wild river that flowed at the bottom of a cliff. Up there was Gerudo valley. He could see the dead trees hang from side to side, allowing the rogues to enter the rest of Hyrule. For a moment Narc wondered what they had fed the trees to make them allow this. The next moment he laughed at this thought: Gerudos didn't ask trees for the approval of their use, they would just use them! Coming to think of it; he started doubting that the Gerudos, and the Hylians for that matter, thought of trees as living things. The river slowed down. "An' is goo' thin' i' does. I'm a sick o' ''is wil' wa'er!" Said Rodon, who seemed to have read Narc's mind. Narc looked at him for a few seconds. Rodon raised an eyebrow. That was when Narc decided not to say anything. Astounded by the phenomenon though he stared out of his eyes thinking of how this could exist. Doing so he drifted to the other side of lake Hylia while all the other Schrubs had already "hit the beach." Rase had already went of to find Beark, while the others were making there way to the lost woods. Since it was morning, and people were coming out of bed, and taking theier morning strole over Hyrule field, they would be spotted, attacked, or spotted and reported and attacked by an army. And because lake Hylia was a nice place, people who have taken the day of will probably come by to spend it by the lake.  
  
"Why 'on't we use the old tunnel thin' i's down the'e, an' i' lea's to Zora's Domain. From the'e we 'ould go to the other por'al tu''el thin' an' be rig't home." The voice Narc had heard before said. He looked at Rodon again, and waited until he started talking again.  
  
"Ell, wha' 'o you thin' can you dive tha' 'eep?" Narc watched his fellow Schrub in utter amazement. Apart from the sound Rodon did nothing wrong! He spoke like this, and if you didn't hear him you'd swear he spoke normally! Narc looked at his fellow Schrubs, they all stared at Rodon. None seemed to feel anything for incurring another speech from Rodon.  
  
Talip was the first to speak. "Yes, that's quite a good idea actually. The Zora's have their own cave not dependent on the sunlight so they don't have to sleep at night. And even so, silly creatures like us tend to just randomly run around places you won't expect them."  
  
The forest began to move. Wading into the water, diving now and then to see where the portal thing was.  
  
And through they went. The next thing they saw was the beautyfull sky-bleu cave of the Zora's. Narc would've liked to stay there but they shouldn't appear to intelligent to the Zora's, since they were very loyal to the Hylian king. As a matter of finishing touch he whispered to the others to hide their arms, since having thumbs is usually seen as a sign of being able to use tools or weapons. The Zora's quickly gathered on the higher levels of the domain to "look down at the mass of silly creatures moving from the sinkhole of their domain to the entrance of it, and out into the world." As Narc looked up he could read from their faces that some of the Zora's felt sorry for that world. "ell, I ain' re'ommendin' this place 'o any of my friends. Tou'ists the en'ertainers 'ere!"  
  
Small barracks had been built in the lost woods. Sticks that formed half circles covered with earth. Also a huge stone oven was placed there. Around it were anvilles and tools for metalwork. In one of the larger structures there was a stack of thick skins.  
  
"What happened?"  
  
"We did dude!"  
  
"Man!"  
  
"I know!"  
  
"Aw 'eezz, this i' grea' we ca' just star' smi'he'oonin'fig'' away!"  
  
The lost wood fell still, everyone stared at Rodon.  
  
"W'a' di' I do som'n? Wha'? Stop sta'in'!"  
  
The Schrubs got a hold of themselves and went on with their business.  
  
In the middle of the activities was Aak. Next to him was Hyac, he could have been Narc's little brother.  
  
"Hyac! You eggboy, how have you been!"  
  
"Don't call me that!"  
  
"Sorry"  
  
"It's been quite boring, Aak got to lead the expedition to the Gorons, and all I could do was help build the barracks."  
  
"Wasn't that cool?"  
  
"Well I wanted to go with the others."  
  
"Were did the oven, and the tools, and the..... metal? You already have metal?"  
  
Aak: "Just a little, the Gorons didn't have to many at the moment, and needed most for themselves. Even after we stopped the Dodongo invasion on the top floor of their city!"  
  
"Really, who all went with you?"  
  
"That group over there."  
  
"Don't ask me, it's not like I was there to." Aak whispered.  
  
"Hey you guys, I don't know you, but I'm Narc, and I want you to tell me all about how you stopped the Dodongo infestation in Goron City!"  
  
"Well, it was under Aak's command, so you should ask him.  
  
"True, but I'm more interested in the action, not in the diplomatic stuff."  
  
Esas "...Right... there was a hole from Dodongo's cavern to Goron city."  
  
Artisti "The Dodongo's blokked the stairways, so the Goron's couldn't blow up the entrance. And the larger Dodongo's"  
  
Esas "were starting to come in. Aak suggested we bomb them, of coarse the Gorons had thought of that. It was just that they had built the city so most of the bombs would be there were the Dodongo's had overrun them.  
  
Loin "So they would have to carry lit bombs all the way to the Dodongo's."  
  
Esas "But even if that had went perfectly. It would probably only stop, or slow, the Dodongo's march, not drive them back.  
  
They stood still and watched the flood of fire-breathing lizards close in slowly, filling every space with their body's, then stared at the Gorons doing everything then could to stop the Dodongo's, but their breath was to fiery for their stone skin. Suddenly Aak jumped up! Carry all the bombs here and blast those things, and bring us sticks, how are the bombflowers placed? Where are they placed? Do Dodongo's have flexible necks? The tree others looked at Aak is if he was meant certain death. They realised what Aak had in mind. But jumping over the creatures that "would come and burn them if they didn't finish their plates" wasn't their idea of diplomacy and business.  
  
Goron "Sure man. Spread and clustered at important spots, by the walls, and in the middle of the corridors near staircases. They can hardly move their necks."  
  
"Great!" Aak took the sticks, handed two to each of the other Schrubs, and kept one for himself. The others looked at him, not knowing what to tell him exactly.  
  
"Aak..... we're wooden creatures...." Loin started.  
  
"Shaddup, stupid! The Gorons will throw us over the first Dodongo's, yes you will, then you look at the ground for bomb flowers, you light your stick, and then you light the flowers. Simple no?"  
  
"We... Are... Wood! WOOD!" Esas shouted.  
  
"Respect my authority woody!" Aak commanded, and he walked towards one of the Gorons, "get me as far into the swarm of Dodongo's as possible."  
  
And so he went. The Goron threw him with all his strength. When Aak felt he wasn't going up anymore he started to spin around, so his leaves would work like what we would call a helicopter. He landed on the back of a rather short Dodongo. The larger on behind him immediately took a deep breath, and Aak was already gone. He heard the short one scream as even for a Dodongo directly being hit by pressured fire hurts. He saw some bomb flowers right under the short one, who had pushed himself onto the Dodongo in front of him, as an impulse reaction to the heat. The Dodongo's had however resumed their invasion. As Aak was sitting on one of them he didn't exactly know what to do anymore. If he went to light one of those bombs he would get lit. "That way I will be absolutely no use to the revolution, instead of just a little," he thought. Then he looked at his mount, it was his size, it was slow and strong. It can turn fast, but if it does it swipes it's tail painfully. "Haha!" He jumped on the short one again. The larger one began take a deep breath. Aak jumped away, to its back, and shot a nut at it. The Dodongo turned, swiping al the surrounding Dodongo's. He took another breath, along with the swiped Dodongo's, and Aak jumped away again. He heard the hyperventilation of a Dodongo that is about to breath fire, and the next moment he was half blown away by the explosion of several bombflowers on the ground. The surrounding Dodongo's went through there knees, and died. Aak jumped on top of them to see if the flowers were re- growing already. Suddenly he trembled. Something was happening inside the Dodongo, he looked at the others, they were shaking to. In a flash he turned around and ran of, when the explosion of the Dead Dodongo's, together with that of the newgrown bombflowers, smashed him against the wall. The explosion had started a chain reaction of dying Dodongo's, exploding Dodongo's and, exploding bombflowers.  
  
Loin, Esas, and Artisti picked up the sticks, and had the Gorons throw them into the crowd. They sped towards the larger bomb field, that was still clear, and full of newgrown bombs. The three Deku Schrubs were amazed at how the plants had survived the fire, and the explosions, but didn't waste time. They tried to pull the bombs loose, but they weren't strong enough. So they decided to light them, the Dodongo's that were still coming in would explode "along". But when they lit the bombs, they immediately let loose, and the Schrubs started to throw them at the Dodongo's coming their way.  
  
Meanwhile Aak hanging from the wall with his dagger. He could hear the explosions, but couldn't turn around.  
  
"Go boulderheads, we can climb the stairs now! Take those bomb gardens and stop the Dodongo's!"  
  
Aak turned his head to the right, he saw the stream of Dodongo's coming in through the entrance decreasing.  
  
"Actually their invasion was just all walking in together, and after a while Dodongo's cavern was just empty of adult Dodongo's." Loin said. "And as a repaiment the Gorons gave us this stuff. They even built us carriages to transport the load. And the Schrubs that wanted to become blacksmiths are getting forgery school as we speak.  
  
"We'll be ready to free the Schrubs from the Gerudos in no time!" Artisti added.  
  
"Come to think of it, after the Dodongo's attack the Gorons went searching for us, to find the Deku Scrubs the were said to live in the Dodongo's cavern." "They're over there, its just about twenty of them." Loin said.  
  
"But Aak did all the work?" Narc asked.  
  
"Not all of course, we were there to, but most yes." Loin awnsered.  
  
"I had never thought he could do that, he never fought with someone or something."  
  
"Yes I know, I think everyone just thought he was a wuss and leave it with that."  
  
*All the Schrubs run of to the other side off the camp*  
  
*Narc and the rest of the group followed.*  
  
Last night was a good night for the revolution! Now we can forge our own swords, and defend ourselves, now we have a good business relationship with the Gorons, our numbers have grown, and will keep on growing! Soon we will....  
  
"When 'o you su'puse they'll be ele'tin' the cow ri'ers?  
  
...and then we will be ready to march to the wretched fortress of the....  
  
Like, I's pose we'll ha'' cows, 'ecause we 'ont be usin any 'orses cause 'on't wan'a be'ome the 'ylians, an' I'll tell you 'his; I ain't ri'in' no goat o' pig. No' even a huge Cucko fo' tha' ma''er!  
  
... We will free our people, scout are looking for a place to live as we speak. Yes I know the lost woods are good enough, but the surroundings are to haunting, your grandparents will agree with you. We will find a land that is not under the protection of weak creatures that depend on others mercy. Mercy is for the weak. You don't have to be weak to give it. But needing it is a shame. We will no longer be swordfood, nor shieldtesters! We will no longer be Deku nut factories! We will be great and we will be respected! They will leave us alone! The trees will thank us for the communications we will open between them and the woodcutters! We will help all who enter, but we will not be tricked into anything. We will not be dictated, even to those of our own kind! But to achieve this we must work hard and train hard, we are physically more fragile and weaker than the Hylians. If we armor ourselves we wont be able to move quickly, if we don't we will be vulnerable. Therefor, I ask you all to train, and work hard, and think of strategies to defeat the Hylians on open ground. I want you to design the equipment, the best will be used, so we will succeed even against those who appear stronger.  
  
Beark stepped off the speech-block.  
  
"Well, this will be fun." Deik said, he had just appeared behind Narc.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"We are frail, and maybe you me and Talip can take on a Hylian, but none of the others would stand a chance against an armed kid, let alone a soldier!"  
  
"Aak could take one too you know".  
  
"Haha, I'm serious man!"  
  
"Me too!"  
  
"Look, I'm gonna go train the others, see what weapon works for who and distribute them, so you can think of more weird one-liners."  
  
* Unusually loud footsteps, for lost woods standards *  
  
"Hey look a Goron!"  
  
"Am glad they's 'ere, I can' wai' for the for'in' 'o begin!"  
  
"It's just Rodon Deik, relax! It's not going to hurt us."  
  
"Me neither, later on it would be better if we forge our own swords, best not let the Gorons know about everything we do. 


	5. Really big cows

One week after the break in of Hyrule castle, and the negotiations at the Goron's quite some progress had been made;  
  
The trees had allowed the Scrubs to take turns on top of them so the could absorb more sunlight and work faster.  
  
The fastest learning Schrubs had finished Blacksmith school.  
  
The Schrubs had found the fairy fountain, and had started to re-explore the forest temple, finding it the perfect place to train themselves, including "courage training" because the temple was somehow infested with Poe's.  
  
The Schrubs were making a lot of progress with their fighting skills, as Deik was training them intensively.  
  
Beark had started negotiations with the fairies of the fountain, because he thought it would be Hyliïsch to simply capture the fairies.  
  
Since everyone had gotten used to him Rodon could finally speak with the forest falling still. People would still look for the cause of his "disease" though.  
  
Spies had come back from Lon Lon ranch (Cows are slow and to big for us!), from Kakariko village (There are no Cucko's our size). And from Gerudo fortress (there are some really fast and strong horses here, you sure we can't...) They had also found the location of the captured Schrubs.  
  
Rase, Loin, Esas and a Termina escapee were sent out to Termina to find something, Beark hadn't told them what exactly. They hadn't returned yet. What did come back from them was a postman who was told to leave a bag of strange seeds on the doorstep of the lost woods. Beark had been happy to announce that they finally had the flowers they could not only hide in, but also fly out of. Allowing them to soar over "for example" destroyed bridges.  
  
Today's operations agents were getting in gear. Artisti had won the designing "contest", so they were all wearing what he had thought up. It a composed suit that was meant to be light, and only give protection were you might get hit. So it brought protection to the front of the Schrubs legs, the back of the lower arm, and elbow, the middle of the back and under the leaves of their rather large heads. All were coloured green and blackish, and consisted of hard leather and steal. The rest of the suit was made to hold their weapons, food and other items. Most of the Schrubs had been best at using two short-swords, and it was decided that that would be their primary weapon. The others got what they could use best.  
  
After a long discussion; weighing pride with efficianty and possible talent; Beark let Talip start an archery class. Most Schrubs were as talented as she was. People had always held here for the only Schrub that could use a bow, but now they realised, if you held a bow in the right way it was just like shouting Deku nuts, only more dangerous. The only reason the others supposedly couldn't was because they had been to proud of their Deku nuts to try shouting something else. "Why try, we have Deku nuts".  
  
They set out to the Gerudo valley, to settle there and isolate the Gerudo's. They would not be able to follow the escaped Schrubs if the bridge was out. Narc loved the tension of these night operations, but he hated the lack of sunshine. He had to sit up on a tree all day to be super fit and rested like he was. The Stallkids were massing around them. "We had best go into the ranch and then go over the wall, that'll puzzle the dumb skullheads for a while."  
  
So they went to the ranch. One by one Talip, Talp, Aak, Rodon, Artisti, Deik, two guys they didn't know and Narc jumped over the wall.  
  
*flash of purple light, and Talip screaming with pain*  
  
"How are you today bushmen?" The voice came from a Hylian like silhouet. It held a large staff, and wore a mixture of robe and armor.  
  
"I'd prefer you don't call us Bush, it's a name for something that can only be barbarian, and stupid." Deik said.  
  
Warlock: "I will call you what I want to call you, and you will listen, and you will assasinate my enemies, if I tell you to!"  
  
The Schrubs, except Aak: "I don't think so!"  
  
Warlock: "From now on I will do your thinking for you!"  
  
* Places his hand inside a pouch by his waste, and sprinkles a cloud of red powder over them*  
  
"Hatsjie! What was that?"  
  
"It was supposed to drive us mad, only under his command."  
  
"I'm happy it didn't, but why were none of us affected."  
  
"It must have something to do with our organisation. Last time they did this to us we were all scattered and lonely, we were bitter, and now we have time for each other, everyone gets attention, and none of us are angry or lonely enough to fall for it!"  
  
Aak: "That's right! So lets take him out before he harms the Schrubs!"  
  
"Aa', 'hy is you all re'?"  
  
*The warlock fixes his eyes upon Rodon, pulles out a small booklet and writes something down*  
  
"Never mind him, how do we finish th..."  
  
*Deik couldn't finish his sentence, because Aak had raged forward, breaking a leaf of of him and any other Schrub that stood in his way*  
  
He came closer and closer to the man. The warlock raised his staff.  
  
Aak moved (not turned) his head to the left, and jumped.  
  
The Warlock shot a concentrated burst of fire from his staff.  
  
In mid air Aak turned his body to the right, ending his jump as if he had made a backflip. The fire burst missed, and Aak came running at the warlock dude again.  
  
He pulled his swords and run passed the warlock while slashing him in the side.  
  
The swords were stopped by the warlocks leather suit.  
  
Aak looked at the blades he had received and cherished until now. "Blunt." he mumbled, in his voice you could hear that he was disappointed with something. Why didn't they trust him with real swords? Why do thy always assume what I have to say is unimportant? Why? I killed one-hundred Dodongo's for Deku's sake. Narc knows it! Why didn't he tell them! Why am I never worth any attention, except when they see me accidentally doing something stupid and they hane to remember to not let me do that at all anymore? Fuck them!  
  
"You arrogant weed! I've let you ignore me when it's handy for you long enough! You don't deserve my attention! I will find people who will listen to me, who actually treat everyone equally! And I won't be there for you when you're in cookbook!"  
  
He drew his dagger, and ripped the warlocks pouch of. He shot two Deku nuts at the back of the warlocks head, and ran off, in the direction of lake Hylia.  
  
When the Schrubs returned their focus to the warlock he was gone.  
  
Narc: "What now?"  
  
Deik: "We go on with the mission, what else?"  
  
Talip: "Uhm... get Aak back?"  
  
Talp: "You heard him, we're not worth his attention."  
  
Rodon: "'on't be so chi''ish, the ki' is sick man!"  
  
Talip: "Don't be so mean, we ignored him all the time! And he never got mad before, and you know how he always helped us."  
  
Deik: "Don't think about that, the mission! We'll send him flowers and postcards later"  
  
Narc: "Hmmmm."  
  
Narc didn't like this at all.  
  
They sat in front of the pass that led to Gerudo fortress. Deik and Talip were lookouts, while the rest were planting seeds and watering them, or preparing to destroy the bridge. Not only were they going to destroy the bridge, they would also destroy the pavement on either side of the bridge, so that anyone trying to jump over would have to start their jump earlier and jump further. Narc didn't exactly know how long they would have to wait for the plants to grow, but he didn't mind, at least now he had time to think of how he would be apoligizing to Aak.  
  
Then they sought out a place to sleep, and awaited further instructions.  
  
Aak stretched to reach the top. He grabbed it, and pulled himself up a bit. Then his anger rose. To do something with it he took the rock he hung by with both hands, swung back and forth a few times then pushed himself away with all the strenght he had in his legs. He held on to the rock, that way his legs swung over his head, he let go and landed on top of the mountain. He had been pulling these stunts all the way to the top, as a consuming rage hit him every now and then. He felt how the moon gave him more energy then usual.  
  
He had been sitting on that same mountain for an hour, instead of pulling angry stunts he was now eating himself from the inside. "Deik didn't care at all that my leaves were suddenly red! They knew they never showed interest in me, but still they said everyone was treated equally, and everyone was happy. Am I so unimportant? Why am I still thinking like this? If they think I will do litte enough fighting to give me blunt swords then they had better not given me swords at all, they shouldn't let me absord the sunlight someone else could use to. They don't want me around at all! Then I won't be proving my use to them at all! But they will be begging me to help them some day! I will see to that!"  
  
He got back on his feet, and looked down from the mountain. He came a long way to see such an uncheerfull place.  
  
His mind went dark. "I shouldn't be sitting here!" He thought. Took ten passes back. "I have to take action now!" For a moment he got distracted by a golden skulltula that was also on that mountain. "Stupid spider. What is your use? You don't even try! I bet you're the king of useless stupid animals! You know, things like me... What are your orders my king? Hahah, what use does the king of useless animals give?" He lowered his head and looked at the ground. The energy searge that had forced him to risk his life over nothing relived. Aak started running, he lowered his head and ran faster and faster. Then the mountain stopped. Aak however didn't. He flew as far as he could. 


	6. Where's my horse?

A/N Thank you sooo very much for your reviews! Thank you! Here's chapter six! _  
  
Aak was offering Narc his knife, because he hadn't got him a birthday gift. Beark didn't let Aak give it away, because it was to important to him. Aak was leaving the playground, because he was the only one that nobody shot any nuts at in the past five of circle-paddle games. He only saw this vagely because at the time being he had hardly noticed. Aak was unwrapping his birthday gifts. They had all given him an unwrapped bag of vine rollies. Mostly bleu ones. He didn't see Aak's reaction. He only saw how he had started a game of football right after he had placed Aak's gift on the table. Aak never had been mad at him for anything, while he could think of dozens of times when he should have been, and he knew Aak did mind, he had just forgiven him before Narc realised he had done something wrong.  
  
Narc opened his eyes after another hour of regretting how he had always treated Aak, especcially since he had turned out to be a great fighter back at the Goron's. "The Goron's, he had led the operation, but instead of showing interest in him he had asked others to tell him because he had assumed Aak would be saying boring stuff." He closed his eyes and lowered his head again.  
  
The wind started blowing. Finally, an excuse to move a little. He waved his head back and forth along with the wind. As the wind becane strongenr he had a chance to take a good look at the flowers they had to grow. In one night they had gotten quite large. Then he heard a loud stumbling. They quickly moved of the road. And just in time. A group of Gerudos on horses ran by. Rodon couldn't help whistling at the warrior women. Luckily they made so much noise while charging out into Hyrule they couldn't have heard them. When the last ones passed by her they could see that one of the Gerudos had halted just before the bridge.  
  
"Wait!" She shouted. The others stopped.  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"I heard whistling, somebody's here."  
  
"You know they could easily be hiding over there, at least some of them."  
  
"They've been together for years, they wan't to stick together. And will probably be going to the lost woods."  
  
"I'm checking the damn bushes."  
  
"Yes, we wouldn't wan't any unchecked raspberries on our doorstep now would we?"  
  
"Very well, lets just pillage the green whole and be done with it."  
  
"That's my Hecala!"  
  
"Ohw, will you be quiet!"  
  
"Someday I will be."  
  
"But what about the whistling?"  
  
"Fuck the whistling."  
  
They rode off.  
  
Deik: "I don't think this is good for us."  
  
Rodon: "Wha'? A'e you tal'in' abou'"  
  
Talp: "Who can be hiding in bushes but would have large number?"  
  
Rodon: "I's on 'he tip o' my tong!"  
  
Deik : "Is it eeeeeevil?"  
  
Narc: "What do you mean not good for us? They're free, that was our mission!"  
  
Rodon:"Don'' give i' away! Gi'e me a'othe' 'int."  
  
Talp: "They would be going to the lost woods..."  
  
Talip: "Why don't we just enter the damn place make sure the Schrubs have..."  
  
Rodon:"You 'ad 'o give i' away di'n't you?"  
  
Talip: "...escaped, if not free them anyway. And then return to the woods!"  
  
Deik: "You heard the wise ass everyone... Talp, you go warn Beark."  
  
Talp: "I go warn Beark... thanks for telling me..."  
  
The Sacred forest meadow was filled with chaos, and a lot of Schrubs. The Schrubs who had been training had fled from the Forest Temple. Beark had just finished inspecting the weapons and other equipment production, the charting of all the land the scouts had found, and now he was on his way to inspect the soldier's training. But as he passed through the meadow he got half trampled by the fleeing cadets. They regained controll of themselves when they saw their leader, and started telling what had happened in a calm and controlled matter, all at the same time.  
  
... training hard... defeated sparring partner... howling... sparring partner still looking for his shoe... laughing from the wall... and the walls were... but I wasn't afraid... my sparringpartner instantly panicked... torches from the walls... so I told him to be brave, it was probably just the Poe's... and the torches had different colours... and I went to a side corridor to see where it came from... so this guy says, "No! Listen to me! My leaves are really falling out!" so I look... and from the torches came arms... and it was covered with paintings of a short figure with a green torch... the first one jumped out, but I was ready...  
  
Beark was about to loose the last of his nice when Talp came in from the lost woods. He gave Beark a note and and took his place in front of the soldiers who had started to physically act out their experiënces.  
  
...so I hit him right where ... and the next was just the same... and the armes had elbows... and I tell this guy "your leaves aren't falling... and when I came closer I saw that he had this huge pimple on his knuckle... and still howling, but also laughing... they started forcing us out... but they were flying so I duck under him... and this guy ducks under him... and one of them had a pimple on his hand, and I don't know how old he was but... mind your own business I say before knocking him outcold... and the guy gets really mad at me for not believing that... problem was there were fivehundred more... and this painting was the one I needed, so I... now five years later I know that he was really trying to... the howling was now completely replaced by laughing... but foolish as I was at that age... and I pull the man out from under the things and he laughs at me like he's a pshyco mad-Schrub... and the next corridor had paintings of yellow ones... turns out this guys is joking! I would want... and now I will never be able to thank him for wat he has done for me...  
  
"SHUT UP! You are all driving me crazy! You are so caught up in your story that you don't even notice that Beark is gone to prepare for a Gerudo attack!"  
  
"I knew he was gone mister. But we thought you might want to hear my story to"  
  
"Yes me to!"  
  
Gerudo fortress was almost empty. They knew that what they were looking for had to be on the top floor, because the Schrubs most likely had an outside pen to catch some sun. Then they heard someone talking:  
  
"Really, all was gone. I'm telling you they must have be expecting a big fight in the Lost woods, because that place was half empty, the only thing they didn't take were those really big axes and other large weapons, the rest... gone."  
  
They moved on, minutes later they found wat the Gerudo gossiping guards, were talking about. A huge empty weapon room, it looked as though the Gerudos must had been heavily packed with light and flexible weapons, appearently there been a storage of small bows, perfect for mounted archery gone. Except some huge axes, sabres and armored suits the place was empty. After a while they found what they had been looking for, it was an unguarded strong door un the top floor. The lack of guards could only mean that the Schrubs had escaped on their own, which could be either good or bad for their revolution. They entered the Deku nut "factory". It was a dark room with a low roof and a half inch thick layer of soil. One thing was for sure, there were no Schrubs here now. They opened the door to the Schrubs outdoor pen. It was an empty roof with dirt on the floor, and a metres high fence around it. In the corner the fence had been broken. That must be from where they escaped. Narc looked down. "How did they make it down?" He would have broken his legs if he had jumped down from here. And they hadn't even made a noise when they came down, otherwise the Gerudos had been following them for hours already.  
  
"Well one thing's for sure: they're are not here." Deik said.  
  
They had left their horses behind with. Otherwise they would hear them coming, and run away. Appearently someone had lived here, because there were shacks of made of twiggs and dirt here and there. But they weren't in use anymore, the roofs let the sunlight through, and plants had started growing there.  
  
"Look there is one." Nadora noticed.  
  
"Stupid women." Sprat thought as he hopped by the now vacant barracks, appearing careless and dumb.  
  
"If we lasso him the others won't know we're here, or that the he is gone."  
  
*Mmmmphmph*  
  
"What was that? Where is Nadora?"  
  
"There!" Hecala thought. She poked her collegue in the stomach and pointed at the Kokiri boy crawling away from them. The two pretended they hadn't seen him, and checked out his former hidingplace. Between two trees and some bushes, among which a raspberrie plant, they found Nadora tied op and gagged.  
  
"Because you were such an easy prey to those little children we're keeping you gagged for a while." Hecala said really contempt with herself.  
  
*Swoosh swoosh swoosh swoosh swoosh swoosh*  
  
"Aaah!"  
  
"My arm!"  
  
"Shut up you wuss! You'll live!"  
  
Five Gerudos drew sabers and ran at the attackers.  
  
*Boom*  
  
Just before they would have reached the archers a boulder fell from a branch, lifting three Kokiri's upward.  
  
"I'm sick of these brats allready!"  
  
*Swoosh swoosh swoosh swoosh swoosh swoosh swoosh swoosh swoosh swoosh *  
  
Double as much arrows were flying in from everywhere, except from below.  
  
Hecala saw the others looking up. Before she had raised her head five of them had been hit by falling rocks, or something. She looked at one of the things that had fallen down. "Deku nuts!"  
  
"Yes they grow here, that's why everything here is named Deku!" She looked up. Another deku nut came down, lower and lower.  
  
"Aauw!"  
  
"You are so stupid!"  
  
*Swoosh swoosh swoosh swoosh swoosh swoosh swoosh swoosh swoosh swoosh *  
  
"Head for those buildings, they won't outsneak us there!" The rogue leadress said.  
  
Hecala was still looking which of the huts to pick when the others were allready getting ready to defend themselves from inside the huts.  
  
"Get in here stupid! Your in their territory!" Quickly she whent into the largest of the buildings. It was not the most comfortable one though, there was hardly any room, because of the jungle that had settles there. Hecala was the only one who succeeded in being comfortable on top of a very stumpy plant.  
  
"What was that?"  
  
"What was what?"  
  
"Somethings on the roof!"  
  
Hecala was just ready taking in the breath she needed to say: "Lets just stab through the roof and see if we hit something." When twelve pairs of broadswords and three arrows went through the ceiling. Two Kokiri fell from the roof, they didn't have a scratch. When the Gerudos didn't look, they ran.  
  
"Are we fighting, and hiding from only children? That is absurd! We have to take action. We have to get on top of the trees, and shoot down. Everyone know how to climb a tree real fast?"  
  
"Sure!"  
  
"Move out, shoot whatever allmost moves, climb the trees and defend your positions from there! Hecala, and you three stay here and keep your bows ready."  
  
The Gerudos moved out, they managed to get all the way to the trees they would be climbing without resistance. Most were halfway there when the fastest one shouted:  
  
"Hey! There's a whole new forest up here! Erhm... Girls I already told you this, but... I will stay here and defend my position against the Kokiri that live in this forest."  
  
"That's fine!"  
  
"Ohw, I sure hope the Kokiri don't sneak up on me hold a sword to my throat make me say things." Hecala didn't like the way her collegue sounded, it was to fake. The next few minutes everything was quiet. Hecala didn't trust it. She was getting afraid, the others didn't say anything anymore and usually the enemy's are the one awaiting their actions.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Shut up Hecala!"  
  
"Aaaaaaaaaah"  
  
*A lot of "boink" sounds, and more Gerudos raining down from the trees.*  
  
"Spread out and kill them!" This order was ignored by most though, since they were ingured and afraid.  
  
Then a Kokiri girl stepped on top of a tree-stump and started speaking:  
  
"We now give you a chance to drop your weapons and leave. If you choose not to do so we will kick your butts like we have been doing since you got here!"  
  
"And you would do this how?"  
  
"Don't be stupid, half of you are heavily wounded, and none of us are. I don't know why you are here, but as you can see, you are not getting past..."  
  
At that moment one of the Gerudos pushed the leaves of a moving strouch aside, reveiling a schrub standing behind it. The creature quickly moffeled something away at the back of his head, and ran. The Gerudos looked at eachother and started adding everything in their minds, Nadora tied up by one boy little boy, the plants that were growing in the shacks and wouldn't have enough sunlight... The Kokiri girl looked around, then she got an idea:  
  
"Not impressed are you?  
  
Quickly the Schrubs took of their weapons and armor, Beark who had been reading the Kokiri girl her lines came back and attacked. Sprat fought himself loose and shot Nadora, who was still tied up in the shack. At first the Gerudos were not impressed though; one schrub which even Hecala could smack back into the bushes in two seconds and one escaping his cage at the right moment.  
  
But then the wind went down. But the forest became more and more restless. The bushes that, until so far, seemed part of the landscape started moving toward the Gerudos.  
  
"Retreat!"  
  
"And drop your weapons!" The Kokiri girl shouted.  
  
The Gerudos fled. Some dropped their weapons. They ran their lungs out until they were back at were they had left their horses.  
  
"Ok... Where are our horses?"  
  
"Our horses are f*cking gone!"  
  
"Violetta da Oranga si grossas hoofa's e noiras mainos come back!"  
  
Beark looked at the intruders as they ran away. They had fought off the most feared rogues in the land without revealing themselves as organised creatures. This was going the right way. He should thank the Kokiri, since they had covered for them.  
  
"Creatures of the forest, attack." He mumbled.  
  
"Talp?" did you find out why everyone ran from the forest temple yet?  
  
"Poe's sir! Many, and they're sticking together so you can't do anything unless you are organised and numerous."  
  
"Ohw wow..." 


	7. Servitude?

A/N Thanks again for all your reviews. I've had some positive reactions to the Schrubs names, thank you, I thought they would be corny since they're just changed plant names.  
  
"You like this don't you? Freeing your buddy's, hide them someplace. Let us take the blame for defeating the Gerudos, and then leave us to fend for ourselves! They will return you know." Mido had told Beark.  
  
"When we go out in the open we will take full responcibility, and we will make sure they don't attack you. Until then we will be here to defend you." Beark replied.  
  
"You live in our forest, desegrate our temple, make us risk our lives to keep you undiscovered, and we have to help you even more? We won't!" Mido shouted.  
  
"It's not your forest and not your temple! We at least keep the temple clean. And you aren't even the actual leader of the Kokiri! So don't talk as if you speak for all of them." Beark said, then turned around and left.  
  
"And take this with you!"Mido shouted pointing at a huge box full of exotic fruits that grew to high up the the trees for the Kokiri to pick, and some jewelry that the Gerudos had dropped.  
  
The sacred forest meadow was filled with activity. The Schrub army was preparing to invade and retake the forest temple. Beark was not impressed with the Poe's fighting skills, so he thought attacking them would be good practice.  
  
"Those ghosts don't stand a chance against us!" Beark said to rally those who could hear him.  
  
"Dad!"  
  
"Narc!"  
  
"How are you? Did you resist the Gerudo attack?"  
  
"Of course we did! I'm fine, Mido is just upset with us. But for the rest everything is perfect."  
  
"No, actually everything isn't perfect. Aak's gone." Narc told his father about what had happened. And Beark told his son what he was planning.  
  
Narc wanted to along with the attack on the Poe's, to take his mind of Aak. So he to was standing in the huge traffic jam. It was nice though, the sacred forest meadow was like a garden, full of fairies, and you would walk between endless arches of green. And at the end, it became even better, there was a ladder there so you could climb up on top of the, always trimmed in tight square-forms, plants. Appearently someone upfront had tripped, because just when things got going they all stopped again.  
  
"From the walls again!"  
  
"Why won't you stay in the damn temple where we expect you!"  
  
"Aaauww!" "People! No room to fight here! Scary! Big! Hurting! Lantern!"  
  
"Climb on top of these trees, then we can pull the wounded out of the trench, and give the others more room!" Talip said. Quickly narc jumped as far as he could stabbed his sword in the side of the archway and climbed up. He saw where it came from, some were already trying to climb out. He jumped over the heads of the others in the trenches.  
  
Together they killed all the Poe's that had come there, and put them in bottles. To save bottles they would put more in one bottle. They didn't have to wait anymore though. All the others also climbed up and they were ready to enter the Temple in five minutes.  
  
Again they were divided in groups. The planning was based on where you had to go with your team. They had planned to have a big fight in the main hall. The Poe's would retreat and the separate teams would search the Temple, there being so many small teams that by shouting out they should be able to bring many Schrubs together fast if the Poe's would all show up in one place.  
  
*Bang*  
  
The door was bashed open, and the Schrubs dashed inside. The Poe's were waiting for them. Most of the Schrubs slowly abvanced to the center of the hall. While some of the others ran to their position to form the flanks. The rest went to the back of the hall, where Deku flowers had been planted, and got ready to fly over and bomb the Poe's.  
  
With this the Schrubs had gotten of with a good start of the battle over the forest temple. The army's core had moved slowly, then stopped. The flanks covered behind their backs. Then they charched forward, forcing the Poe's to split or fly up. Then the flaks dashed in surprising the Poe's that had evaded the main force. Meanwhile the rest had taken of into the air, shooting at those in the air. Those who were amongst the best fighters, landed in between the Poe's to chatter them while the main force kept coming.  
  
The Poe's quickly had enough. They fled in different directions, as planned. The teams formed quickly, and chased after them.  
  
In Narc's group were Sprat, Talp, Artisti and three Termina escapées (Sprat and Talp weren't to happy about that at first).  
  
The first minute of the chase they couldn't make any speed, because for some reason two of the Poe's felt like staying behind and dangerously swinging their lanterns to stop the Schrubs while the others fled. They couldn't hold the Schrubs of to long though, because Sprat had pushed Artisti to the floor, so the Poe's tried to hit him and Sprat sliced their heads.  
  
Next they were running through the empty corridors, but the Poe's had already left through the walls. At the end they reached the place they were supposed to follow the Poe's to. It appeared to be free of cursed lifeforms.  
  
"Well, we had better return to our patrolling, someone is bound to drive them pack into our corridors." Artisti suggested.  
  
"Shouldn't someone stay here, quite a lot of them could prepaire for a move at the patrolls from here." Said 'what's-his- name-from-the-swamp'.  
  
"I don't know, I prefer Artisti's idea, no offence, but you're just... bald." Sprat and Talp couldn't help but laugh, Sprat in particular sounded quite like a pig. In a few seconds they were all laughing at eachother.  
  
Narc however didn't listen. Apart from the laughing all sounds of nature had faded, like the grass was holding it's breath. When the others were ready to leave the silence was complete. Narc looked around. The others had almost left, when one of them shouted:  
  
"Hey sunblocker,..."  
  
"A-corny!"  
  
"...aren't you coming along with these idiots?" But at that moment the door slammed in his face. Narc looked around.  
  
"Auw!"  
  
"What the..."  
  
"There here!"  
  
"Narc!"  
  
"Shaddup and fight bloomhead! We're allready outnumbered here!"  
  
"Poor Narc"  
  
That last voice sounded different. It wasn't as hollow as the other voices from behind the door. He knew this voice. Narc turned around.  
  
"Aak, you're ok! You not red anymore! You have even gotten yourself a real weapon! Are you fighting along! This time I'll make them listen and get you the credit you deserve... Why are you not saying anything?"  
  
"Haha, you're so amusing when you're excited. You always get me to smile."  
  
"How did you loose the curse?"  
  
"What curse? I just washed out the red stuff on my head. I am so glad you are okay, I have been looking all over for you, after I cooled down."  
  
Narc's enthusiasm decreased as he heard this. In the last sentence Narc had sounded very different from usual. It wasn't a sentence, he said every word seperately. He sounded upset because Narc hadn't been looking for him.  
  
"I'm sorry Aak, but I was ordered to go on with the mission, and I trusted you would be okay, while the captured Schrubs weren't."  
  
"It's ok. I'm not upset. It's not like I would get angry about something like this... is it."  
  
"But really, how did you uncurse yourself?"  
  
"What's leaf-color on building nation?" For some reason, inside Narc, there rose a fear of Aak. He didn't usually speak like this. And for some reason, he just looked evil to Narc. Narc thought of how Aak had looked when he was plagued. He was normal now, but it still didn't feel right.  
  
"Narc, are you scared?" Narc looked Aak right into his venom green eyes. Aak had enjoyed asking this, Narc could see it. Aak was content with having an impact on someone. Narc was about to anwser something (whatever sounded tough but not self-content, or macho), when he was chocked again. On Aak left and right Poe's had appeared. They flew beside him like his body guards, and stared at Narc. "Noo! Aak!"Narc thought. He looked at Aak as if he were a monster.  
  
Aak turned his eyes at the ghost to his left and it looked at him. In one second Aak pulled out a small Gerudo sabre. Pretended to give him a vertical slash, so the Poe would try to block it, and then thrusted. As he raised his sword and held the Poe in the air, it burned up around his sword. The other one tried to flee through the wall, but Aak stopped him. He bended his knees and made a spin, picking up some sand from the ground. In that same spin he trew that sand at the wall. It stopped the Poe's passage through the wall giving him just enough time to slice the creature's back, all in one motion. Where the destroyed Poe wetn through the wall it turned purple for three seconds as the Poe burned up inside the wall.  
  
Narc took a breath with relieve. "For a moment there, you know the way they hung beside you, I was scared they had hypnotized you or something."  
  
"Pathetic creatures."  
  
Narc's relievement sunk back in his feet. This was not like Aak. He should shyly admit that he had been practicing and then try to get you to tell him he was great. Not call his enemy pathetic. His bright orange eyes should sparkle happiness an'... Why... were... Aak's eyes green? They should be orange, not this scary, poisony green colour.  
  
"Aak. You're still plagued aren't you?"  
  
"What are you talking about?"  
  
"Your eyes, they're the same as the night you got sprinkled. Your leaves are green again, but your eyes are still like the mad Schrubs... Look! Let's get to Beark, together we will get you out of this. You will be respected for fighting the sickness like you have done so far. I mean your leave colour is normal again! You can get healed totally!"  
  
"Narc! Get a hold of yourself. Nothing is wrong with me. I came here to do something. And I should be getting back to that. These stupid ghosts have delayed me long enough. Now I know you're okay I'm leaving again. Bye."  
  
He turned his back to Narc jumped up at the wall, set his foot there and jumped again. Then he grabbed a hanging plant pulled it onto him. Turned so that his head was down and then thrusted himself upward. The next moment he seemed be walking backwards, he took short steps and after four seconds his head was up again and he had climbed ten metres. Then he jumped, turned to face the wall grabbed another vine and climbed up a balcony. Then he was gone.  
  
"Spratza the sparkling would be a good hero name for me." Sprat thought after defeating the how-many-est Poe. To bad he got separated from the others. He would have loved to hear the compliments the leafless fools undoubtedly would have given him. Another Poe came at him. Was he ever going to show that freak!  
  
"You are a fine warrior young deku Schrub."  
  
"Nay-ru! It talks!"  
  
"I have been waiting here to aid you in taking controll."  
  
"Taking... controll?"  
  
"You know you could rule the Schrubs much better than Beark."  
  
"He won't be around for long, he's an old man."  
  
"You lie! You aren't planning to take control after Beark, you just don't want to discuss with me!"  
  
"You get the hint, stil you won't shut up? Do I have to make you? Hah. Like I care!"  
  
Sprat drew his bow and ran at the Poe.  
  
Right in front of him he jumped and shot one arrow. As the Poe held his lantern ready to defend himself. Sprat got ready to shoot again. He quickly faked shooting again, dropped his bow, grabbed a sword and slashed! He was ready to take on a victorious pose to the fairies inside the wall when he got hit in the back.  
  
"Will you listen now? You cocky beanhead!" "Shut up!"  
  
Furious because the Poe noticed the lumpyness of his leaves he butchered the Poe instantly.  
  
"Why wouldn't he listen?" Sprat heard someone say.  
  
"Because you are pathetic. Did you really think you could "corrupt his mind"? None of them would've listened to you, especially this one. He's to cocky..."  
  
"What?" Sprat turned around. There was only the dead Poe's spirit which he didn't catch. "They don't talk after you kill them do they?" Sprat wondered, disgusted by the idea. Wait! There was a figure next to it. At first it had appeared as a decorative plant, since this was the Forest temple, but it was a Schrub. He had fallen for his own disguise.  
  
"Hey you!"  
  
"What?"  
  
The Schrub stood up.  
  
"That was quite the show, until it wacked you..."  
  
"What do you want?"  
  
"I want to finally get to do what I came here for. But I'm constantly interrupted."  
  
"That's a shame."  
  
"Well, you know, you could help me out really well if you wanted to..."  
  
"Not wanting to is a wussies excuse for something they fear. What do you need?"  
  
"Somewhere on the top floor of this temple there are four special Poe's. I need them all dead."  
  
"I'm killing Poe's anyway..."  
  
"I know you are, good luck."  
  
The other one left.  
  
He saw the small creature come through the door.  
  
"I have a proposition for you!" It said.  
  
"I knew you would come some day."  
  
"Yeah? That's nice. Anyway, I have to show the others and the Hylian that I'm serious and not to be tempered with, and that would work best if we work together to destroy the Hylian's kingdom. That way you will get the trown, and we will get the notice we deserve."  
  
"Surely this is not the easiëst way to achieve wat you want, why do want to side with me?" He's bringing himself to his end. He thought. After doing this he won't be tolerated anywhere. Not even here. He thought.  
  
"I don't know, it just appeals to me to become "those who destroyed Hyrule", call it intuition."  
  
Call it servitude. He thought. Their mind's are so weak. I knew he would come back to me sooner or later. "Deal!"  
  
The other one nodded, and left. In the background he could hear the Poe's fleeing or getting killed. Now and then a lantern flew out of one of the paintings surrounding him. When it reached the door a Poe's spirit lit up inside the invisible creature. The rest of it's body also reappeared, and the Poe flew out. Ready to fight the invading Schrubs.  
  
"Like only Poe's can stop them... How do I get this vermin out of here without being discovered, or having to kill them. I'd hate for them to be weakened so bad they can't fight the royal soldiers anymore." He thought staring after his just revived minion, as he was moving towards his third death today.  
  
A/N I hope you liked it. 0_o I'm so boring... Well... Bye. 


	8. Why?

A/N: Hello, long time no bothering you with my new chapters. Thank you Snowsilver ( I had no idea 0-o) I changed all the chapters the way you advised, thank you again. ------------------------------------------------ Narc ran through the empty corridors. He was getting quite sick of this place, they had to make it this big? Finally he reached the central hall.  
  
As he looked around, he saw, and heard, his team standing on the other side of the Hall.  
  
Team: "Narc!"  
  
Narc: "You guys..."  
  
Sprat: "You are never gonna guess what I did all by myself!"  
  
Narc: "Has anyone entered through this hatch?"  
  
Talp: "Ok, just relax and let the image sink into your mind..."  
  
Narc: "Yes, I'm aware that it is closed just like when we  
first saw it, but someone must've been planning to go through,  
and now he's gone!"  
  
Artisti: "We've tried for hours remember? It's un-openable."  
  
Sprat: "Mwuhhahahahahahahahahahaha!"  
  
Talp: "I know you're bored but this is serious ok?"  
  
Sprat: "I need to draw attention somehow."  
  
Narc: "What did you manage to do all by yourself Sprat?"  
  
Sprat: "I defeated four special Poe's."  
  
Artisti: "Don't make him tell the story all over again, it's really braggy."  
  
Sprat: "It starts when this Poe begins to speak. He wants  
me to take control of our organisation. I was unimpressed  
though. And I killed him...  
  
Narc: "you guys really haven't seen or heard anything interesting?  
Spart: "asked: Why wouldn't he listen? And then I hear  
someone coldly say: Because you are pathetic! I turn around, and  
it's a schrub! I ask him what he was doing here, why he didn't  
help me...  
  
Talp: "Let's shut him up while we stil can."  
  
Narc: "What did that guy look like Sprat?"  
  
Sprat: "Don't interupt me for technicalities, they're not  
making this a better story!"  
  
Narc: "Trim your story!"  
  
Termina escapees: "Why do you hate us?"  
  
Narc: "I just want to know about the guy who told you what to  
do."  
  
Sprat: "He was there all along, he was hiding there, maybe  
he couldn't beat the Poe. Anyway he wanted me to kill those four  
Poe's, and I had to do it quickly for some reason. I trusted  
him, since he was a Schrub to, and I was killing Poe's by  
masses, so this would be no change in plans. I never saw him  
again..."  
  
Artisti: "...Never? In all those fifteen minutes that have past  
since?"  
  
Narc: "How did he look?"  
  
Sprat: "Normal to me. Normal height, normal leave colour,  
normal leave length (focusing his eyes on his three new  
buddy's). But I couldn't see much more, it was dark in there."  
  
All the doors swung open and Schrubs were coming into the room  
  
"Did anyone see this thing open?" Narc asked  
  
"Yes, that's why we're here."  
  
"You're a bit late then aren't you?"  
  
"We just light the torches with these colored flames. The thing opened when they started burning, so this should work."  
  
"Did anyone enter they lower floor?"  
  
"Not when we were on guard, try asking the rest of everyone in this hall."  
  
"So we are to just come along with you and be taken someplace I don't know, for I don't know how long and leave my very important job here. Without trying to stop you?"  
  
"Yes that's the idea."  
  
"And why am I stil letting you be here again?"  
  
"Because you are outnumbered, your guards are asleep, you don't have a clue what's going on and you are dead curious."  
  
"Well, you have done your homew..."  
  
Impa reached out to her neck, but fainted before pulling the dart out. The same thing happened to the other Sheikahs.  
  
Aak: "This could have been fun... Why did you have to sedate her?  
  
Easp: "I don't like being excluded from conversations."  
  
Aak: "..."  
  
Easp: "And besides, there is a Hyrule messenger on his way here, and we don't want the woman warning him with her magical old hag warning powers."  
  
Aak: "Right... I wouldn't suppose simply GAGGING would help against such methods would it?"  
  
The group of Schrubs pulled the outcold warriors on their backs and run out of the Shadom temple. It was a good thing there is nobody in the graveyard at night. They opened the secret door at the royal gravesite and vanished inside.  
  
When they were at the end of the tunnel the Sheikahs were waking up.  
  
Aak was delighted that they did, he was dying for another round of verbal combat. A cold hand landed on his head. It's grip strengthened and from everywhere Aak could here dragging footsteps and moaning. Quickly Aak slashed the re-dead's hand of and starting to grind the dead meat.  
  
"How many corpses are in this place? I thought only royalty was buried here?"Aak shouted out. After dropping this anti-subliminal hint his soldiers dropped their loads and hacked into the attackers.  
  
"Aak?" A voice asked.  
  
"Yes sir?" Aak awnsered.  
  
"Have you captured the Sheikahs yet?"  
  
"Have you learned what is and what isn't a stupid question yet?"  
  
"Don't smart mouth me you little weed! But I'm glad you did your job anyway, bring them to me for maximum security when we execute them."  
  
"Yes sir..." Aak ended the conversation. This wasn't a good. The guy is pure evil, I have to stop him. He thought. He quickly scribbled something down. "Allright! Flock three! Here's your orders! I've got some stuff to do." He handed Flock three's leader the piece of paper and left.  
  
"What could possibly make you think that?" Commandant of the guard Doru asked.  
  
"Well, our weapon room w..." "Old news!" Doru quickly interrupted. "Ok... Ehhrm, the Gerudos have been keeping quiet for a suspiciously long time." Lieutenant Galtar said.  
  
"So we're suddenly very terrifying and they don't dare to attack us anymore! That means nothing!" Doru said, enjoying the way Galtar looked at him at a loss of words.  
  
"The Zora's! Rumor has it that suddenly the Schrubs started their first annual migration, through Zora's domain! Something must have made them do that." Galtar almost shouted, he was getting desperate, he knew something was going on, why wouldn't Doru see it?  
  
"Schrubs can't migrate you stupid! They live in garden's, unless the garden's are maintained, then they'r..." "Deku Schrubs! Not weeds!" "Sorry... Do those things actually have enough instinct to herd?" Doru felt his confidence boost saying this. He was really proud of his "wittyness."  
  
"What about the attack on the Goron's, suddenly lot's and lot's of lizard things came running into their city killing Goron's!" Galter could hear himself sound desperate. That couldn't possible convince Doru, he had to come up with something better.  
  
"Commandant Doru?" A random soldier who had just walked into the room asked.  
  
"Who are you?" Doru snapped.  
  
"The Sheikah's have been reported missing sir, and the Shadow temple door has been broken open. They appear to have been kidnapped. I'm private Martinus."  
  
Doru didn't like this at all, the Sheikahs were always very loyal to the king, and Impa has even stopped two murder attempts. If the Sheikahs were abducted then there must be somekind of plot against the king. "Dismissed private. Galtar, tell me about this eeeeeeeeeeeeeevil corrupting our land."  
  
"Sigh... Sir, yes sir..." This did not feel right. Galtar's morale sank to his shoes even though Duro would finally listen to him.  
  
As he walked up to Beark's speech block, that had a huge map of Hyrule with empty space in the north behind it, he saw how the entire organisation had gathered here. There were so many of them. The sea of Schrubs seemed endless, but then... You can't look far in a forest. Not only their numbers amazed him. As he walked past them looking strait left or right there was an amazing sight Narc had never seen before. At this very moment he wasloking at the side of one of their men. He was in uniform, and well armed. He disciplinedly looked slightly up so he could fully take in what Hyrule looked like. As he took another step, and cast his eyes down, right before him he could see the grass that covered the earth. As he moved his eyes up he saw the stroke of grass get thinner between to lines of Deku Schrubs. They were all standing in lines of maybe one-hundred and fifty. The grass ended at the roots of a tree. He followed the tree up to the sky. Roughly halfway he was interrupted. The tree was hung full of Schrub soldiers. His eyes turned right, in that tree as well, and the one next to!  
  
Rase stepped up on the speechbloch. Next to her was a Termina escapé. Although their leaves had grown longer since they had gotten here you could still tell them apart from the others.  
  
Narc quickly took a place among the heavily disciplined soldiers as Rase was beginning to talk about a lush forest, inhabitet only by animals, and where all plants were tingling with magic power.  
  
AN: BTW, Snowsilver, thank you for the tip; as the summary says I did as you said. 


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